Photo: Contributed

The Centre for Gambling Research at UBC has published a new study that connects slot-machine addiction to a trance like state.

The fast, continuous style of play during slot machines brings an immersed state in which players can escape form feelings of stress, boredom or low mood.

This confirms there is indeed a link between gambling addiction and the so-called slot machine zone, said Luke Clark, the study's senior author.

Clark said slot machines lead to reduced attention to the visual world.

Slot machines are one of the most popular forms of gambling worldwide, but they are also the form most consistently linked to gambling addiction, said Spencer Murch the lead on the study.

Researchers found that participants who were at a higher risk of problem gambling reported greater levels of immersion during playing slot machines.

Participants played for 30 minutes and were told to report if they felt as if they were in a trance or lost track of time while playing. Their heart rates were also measured when they were playing.

We found they not only felt that they lost track of time and their surroundings, but they often failed to notice the shapes on the periphery of the machine," said Clark.

The study can be used to help guide the development of campaigns promoting gambling treatment and those at risk of becoming addicted.

There is potential for slot machines to be designed in a way that promotes more responsible use by disrupting the slot machine zone state, said Clark.

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In a slot machine trance - Castanet.net